The present invention is directed generally to food products and to their methods of preparation. In particular, the present invention is directed to improved aerated confectionery products such as dried marshmallows having a modified surface and to processes for making such surface modified aerated, confectionery products.
Aerated confections products are popular food items. Some products are fabricated from aerated confections compositions that comprise a fat constituent while others are substantially free of such fat constituents. An illustrative fat free aerated confection is the common marshmallow. Such marshmallow products are familiar in both larger and smaller sizes.
It is well known that such marshmallows when fresh are soft and pliable but will stale by losing moisture and become hard. Indeed, purposefully pre-dried aerated confections are also well known. These products, particularly in smaller or bit sizes, are commonly added to certain popular Ready-To-Eat (xe2x80x9cRTExe2x80x9d) breakfast cereals, particularly those marketed to children. Due to their small size (i.e., having a number count of 4 to 6/g), these dried aerated confectionery marshmallow products are sometimes colloquially referred to as xe2x80x9cMar.xe2x80x9d bits or xe2x80x9cmarbitsxe2x80x9d. The marbits must be pre-dried prior to admixture with the RTE cereal in order to reduce unwanted moisture migration from the marbit to the cereal and thus to forestall the multiple problems resulting therefrom.
While there are many types of marshmallow products on the market, their methods of preparation generally fall into two main process groups: extruded marshmallow and deposited marshmallow. In both types, a sugar syrup and a structuring agent (such as an albumin, agar or, preferably a gelatin) are the two main ingredients. Typically, the sugar syrup is heated to reduce moisture and is thereafter cooled down, and then combined with the gelatin solution to form a slurry. That slurry is then aerated to form a foam, and after aeration, colors and flavors are then added to the foam. The particular marshmallow product may be formed into its final shape by an extrusion process. That is, after aeration, the foam is extruded through a dye to form a rope. The dye imparts the desired peripheral shape to the extrudate rope. The rope is allowed to rest briefly to set, and then is cut into desired sizes. For dried marshmallows, the process can additionally include one or more drying steps. (See, for example U.S. Pat No. 4,785,551 issued Nov. 2, 1988 to W. J. Meyer entitled xe2x80x9cMethod of Drying Confection Piecesxe2x80x9d).
While marshmallows of a single color are most common, marshmallows having two or even a plurality of colors (collectively herein, xe2x80x9cmulti-coloredxe2x80x9d) are also known (see, for example, D 376,039 issued Dec. 3, 1996 entitled xe2x80x9cFood Productxe2x80x9d showing a two color marbit design) as well as methods for their preparation. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,380 issued Oct. 20, 1986 entitled xe2x80x9cMulticolor Confection Extrusion System and U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,404 issued Feb. 28, 1990 entitled xe2x80x9cMulticolor Confection Extrusion Systemxe2x80x9d, each of which are incorporated herein by reference). Both the ""404 and ""380 well describe the difficulties and sensitivities of such foam product preparation. The conventional processes for making multi-colored marshmallows teach to divide the aerated foam into a plurality of sub-streams, to admix a desired colorant to each sub-stream, and then extrude these colored sub-streams in substantially equal portions into a single rope or multiplicity of such ropes.
While multi-colored marshmallow pieces have enhanced consumer appeal particularly for children""s products, there is a continuing need for new confection products having novel appearance and appeal.
The present invention provides improvements to aerated confections especially dried marshmallow pieces. More particularly, the present invention relates to dried marshmallow pieces having surface modifications to alter their appearance and to methods of preparing such appearance modified aerated confection pieces.
In certain preferred embodiments, the provision of a surface modified appearance involves applying a topical particulate coating. Since fresh or undried aerated confections are naturally sticky, a topical starch coating is conventionally applied to eliminate the sticky surface attribute. Excess starch is removed such as by vibration. While effective, residual starch renders the aerated confections"" surface so resistant to adhesion that providing a coating, especially a discontinuous particulate coating, that resists separation is difficult. Adhering particulate coating is even more challenging for dried aerated confection since drying further reduces surface stickiness. The present invention provides methods for preparing coated dried aerated confections that overcome the problems of resistance to adhesion.
In its product aspect, the present invention resides in aerated confections in the form of pieces having a body color and a body exterior surface importantly characterized by at least a portion of which has been modified to provide an appearance disparate to the body.
The aerated confections comprise a body fabricated from an aerated confection comprising:
about 50 to 95% of a saccharide component;
about 1 to 30% moisture;
about 0.5 to 30% of a structuring agent; and, The confection compositions have densities of 0.10 to 1.0 g/cc.
The products are additionally characterized by a size of 0.1 to 5/g. These products can have a body of one color or the body can comprise a plurality of disparately colored phases. The products further can comprise a surface including a coating in a weight ratio of coating to body ranging from about 0.1:100 to about 30:100.
In its principal method aspect, the present invention provides methods for preparing an aerated confection, comprising the steps of:
A. Topically applying a substance to adhere to aerated confection pieces having at least one portion having a first color and having a moisture content of about 1% to 30% to provide sticky aerated confection pieces having the substance adhered thereto; and
B. Processing the sticky aerated confection pieces having the substance adhered thereto to form non-sticky, dried aerated confection pieces with the substances adhered having a moisture content of about 1% to 8%.